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Saturday, June 11, 2011

End Times – False Prophets

There a fresh wind of prophecy in the air these days, after the last false prophecy bolstered by Mr. Camping just a few weeks ago, ended in failure. Once again folks, whose ears were perked, breathed a sigh of relief. The world did not end on May 21, 2011 as he so audaciously predicted, nor will it happen anytime soon.

He not only aroused the media, but a large group of people who honestly believed he cracked the Biblical code, believing he was on the inside track. This is the farce of those who draw attention to themselves, in attempts to deceive and gain recognition. Using a calculated method, that speaks to the flesh of people, it's all about receiving the praise of men.

With only a few keystrokes on any search engine, you'll find that this false prophet has caused a similar panic in the past. And for people to just accept his cover story “Something happened in heaven” or “Just a slight miscalculation in dates” is utter foolishness. It is obvious that this generation is willing to believe anyone who claims special knowledge “from God”, before consulting the Word of God. The Old Testament book of Deuteronomy chapter 18 states clearly:

“But if any prophet who claims to give a message from me or another god who falsely claims to speak for me must die. You may wonder “how will we know whether the prophecy is from the Lord or not?” If the prophet predicts something in the Lord's name and it does not happen, the Lord did not give the message. That prophet has spoken on his own and need not be feared” (Deuteronomy 18:20-22 NLT)

So why do people continue to listen to these false prophets, if what they have said doesn't happen? Because their hearts are hard toward God, they haven't taken the time to verify what has been said, or know scriptures themselves. (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22).

This is the reason:

“For the truth about God is known to [people] instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts” (Romans 1:19 NLT) but they refuse to acknowledge Him and believe lies. (Romans 1:20-24 paraphrased.)

“Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe, they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons. These teachers are hypocrites and liars. They pretend to be religious, but their consciences are dead” (1 Timothy 4:1 NLT)

“Those false teachers who are so anxious to win your favor are not doing it for your good. They are trying to shut you off from [the truth of the gospel], so that you will pay more attention to them” (Galatians 4:17 NLT)

There are many passages in the scriptures about the last days and final judgment. Jesus is coming back, I believe very soon. The signs are there, the cast of characters are taking their places. Even a casual student of prophecy knows there are several events that have not come to pass before the destruction of the earth. According the book of Revelations, the end of the world is one of the last things, not the first.

There are many misconceptions understanding Bible prophecy, but one thing that is certain, we are experiencing a rise in false teachers and false prophets. This is what Jesus warned the apostles about (Matthew 24: 23-27, Luke 21:8) it appears to be increasing in our day. Jesus is the only one who completely filled the prophecies of the “Messiah”, “Anointed One”, “Emmanuel”. No other before or since comes remotely close.

This was one of the first subjects that I was fascinated with. I remembered what my grandmother prophesied to me when I was six years old. She said, “I won't see the second coming of Jesus, but you will,” That got me thinking, I didn't know what the Bible said. Over the next five years, I focused in on that subject and it's my pleasure to share with you what I discovered.

I am approaching this subject with care and a desire to enlighten people to the truth found in God's Word. I would not consider myself an absolute authority by any means, but with certain facts I will share, you will see that God is good, His plans for us are wonderful and we should not fear, but to recognize the time and look to the future with hope.

This will be the subject of my next several posts. I hope you will gain valuable insights, gain confident in the future and draw closer to the Lord than you have been in the past.The final hours are upon us, look up and know your redemption is near!

Jesus said, “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have give you. And be sure of this I am with you always, even to the end of the age”